ETHICAL PR: LET'S LEAD BY EXAMPLE

When we become shills for clients whose business objectives don't go beyond glitz or hype, who wouldn't know a true Business Plan if they tripped over it, and whose horizons extend no further than their own greed, we become no better than them. And we become what real PR professionals spend their whole careers fighting against. We become the sleazy, old-fashioned "publicist"-type...who'll take anyone as a client, who'll do anything to "promote" that client, and who'll use any methodology to prove "results."

Like this type of client, we become interested only in short-term results, rather than long-term strategy. We become interested in the quick hit, rather than in building long-term momentum. And - because we often know, in our hearts, that this client may not be around forever - we become interested only in the quick buck.

Just as so many of the business and financial institutions we once trusted have betrayed our trust for a quick buck, it's sometimes tempting - particularly in a recession - to think about the shortest route to the money.

However, like the companies who've fallen victim to this philosophy over the past few years, our own firms may not be around for long, either, if we compromise our core values. As hundreds of companies around our country can testify, once you lose your reputation, it's awfully hard - or impossible - to reclaim it.

Our mantra, as public relations professionals, should be no different than those of corporations that utilize ethical business and marketing practices...

1) Determine your core values.
2) Make sure your people understand - and practice on a daily basis – your core values.
3) Educate your clients as to your core values.
4) Be willing to pass on a potential client who you believe does not share those values.
5) Be willing to walk away - yes, walk away - from an existing client who violates what you believe to be ethical core practices. (It's a lot cheaper in the long run, both for your finances and for your reputation.)
6) Hold on tightly to your moral compass. The business graveyard is filled with PR firms that didn’t.
7) DON'T JUST PREACH YOUR CORE VALUES...PRACTICE THEM! EVERY DAY!

This could be a golden opportunity for PR. Let's take the lead. Let's set an example for our clients with our own behavior, before we’re put in the uncomfortable position of having to publicly defend theirs.

I believe that, if we're going to be put in the position of defending corporate agendas…we should be helping to set them.

Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com